The DracoLord and His Maiden
by Kyletra
Summary: Action! Drama! Suspense! Romance, and the angst of lack thereof! The journey of unrequited love begins!
1. Tamed Tyrant

Long ago in a distant land, there lived a terrible tyrant. He ordered the ponies of his country into slave labor, commanding them with an iron fist. His cruelty knew no limit, as often once the hard working ponies finished some massive project, he would destroy it and order it to be remade. But none dared oppose him, as the only thing that outshone his malevolent nature was his immense strength and powerful magic.

Perhaps it was also fear for his physical form as well. He, unlike the servants he surrounded himself with, walked upon two legs, and could use hands to manipulate his surroundings in ways even unicorn magic found difficult. He could hold weapons, such as his mighty blade, which was said to be able to cleave one's very soul. Not that he needed to, with his razor sharp claws and teeth, a jaw strong enough to grind even diamond to dust.

Thick scales covered his entire body, and rendered him impervious to nearly any sort of attack, especially fire. For that was his favorite of the elements, and a deep plume of flame would be the end of many an usurper. The tyrant's name has been passed down into legend, and even today sparks fear: The DracoLord.

And so, his rule went unchallenged, until one brave slave rose up, Sakura! She broke off her shackles, picked up a heavy tome and waited for the DracoLord to some inspect her progress on sorting his massive library. He entered the room, looking around in confusion. He looked to her two friends and fellow servants.

"Where is she?" He commanded, and that was when she pounced!

"Take that, ya varmint!"

Spike was thrown to the ground under the weight of Apple Bloom's surprise attack. The other Crusaders jumped in as well, dog piling the baby dragon. He gasped under the weight of three young ponies.

"Guys, come on, I thought you wanted to try to be Cutie Mark Crusaders Librarians! That means treating the books nicely. Twilight will kill me if another one gets damaged."

They gave a unified sigh of boredom. He'd been trying to keep them on task and help put the books away, but it was like trying to get Pinkie to resist sweets. The CMC had read comic books, made a book fort, tried to give several wordy tomes a few pictures "To make it easier to understand", and even when he did get them to just put the books away, they often put books up based on the title's alphabetical order, rather than the author. And now this had happened.

"Spike, darling, is everything alright in there?"

Rarity stepped in to see the chaos in the library. She had been smiling, but now it turned into a hard stare at the young ones. It wasn't quite THE stare, but it was just as chilling.

"Now girls, not only is this Twilight's home, but Mister O'Wisdom was trusted to keep it safe while she was away. How would you feel if Twilight were to blame him for this mess?"

Scootaloo scratched her head.

"Wait, if it was his job, where is he anyway? He's being a slacker!"

Rarity smiled softly at the little ones, using her magic to sort through the books.

"Oh, don't be mad with him. I offered to watch it for the weekend, but he does have the responsibility for it until Twilight gets back. Besides, Cheerilee needed a little get away with him."

"Oh yeah, he's her um... what did you call him again sis?"

"Her beau, Sweetie. Her coltfriend. Lucky mare..."

Rarity put a book away with a bit more force than necessary. _Oh yes, everypony getting together these days. Twilight and Trixie, Fluttershy and Big Macintosh, Gilda and Rainbow Dash, Words and Cheerilee. Why, I'd have sworn I saw Applejack act FLIRTY around Caramel. But with the orders coming in so much thanks to all the popularity, I haven't had time to try the dating scene myself. Oh, poor Rarity, doomed to be an old grey spinster._

Spike coughed and tapped her shoulder. The unicorn looked down at him, torn from the depressing train of thought.

"Um, Rarity, I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner tonight. I got some bits saved up from the allowance the Princess gives us. We could eat at that fancy Istallion restaurant that just opened up in town."

The girls jumped around excitedly, over hearing the idea. Spike seemed miffed the girls had shoehorned into his suggestion for a date, but Rarity smiled softly at the redirected energy.

"It seems everyone wants to eat out tonight, we might as well. Don't worry about paying Spike. I have more than enough funds to handle the cost of us all. I've been wanting to try their potato gnocchi. The Aloe sisters told me and Fluttershy it was absolutely delightful when they went. I just hope we can get a reservation for this evening.. and I will have to brush you all up on fine dining etiquette."

The girl's good mood suddenly vanished as the unicorn shepherded them into the kitchen. They were forced to stand still as Rarity set out forks, spoons, knives, napkins, and even set up a candelabra. She stood next to her chair and looked sweetly at Spike.

"Now, a gentleco... dragon, would be so kind as to pull out the chairs for the young mares present?"

If only because he wanted to impress her, the young dragon politely pulled out the chairs for them all, pushing them in. Apple Bloom have a small snicker as he sat down next to Rarity.

"Got you so wrapped around her hoof you could uncork bottles Spike."

"She does not!"

"Spike, would you light the candles? Thank you darling."

The baby dragon blushed furiously as the Crusaders giggled at him. The lesson dragged on for a while, as Rarity wouldn't accept less than perfection. When the girls finally had the manners down, the make over began. This was even worse as far as Scootaloo was concerned. Spike fortunately managed to get away with just a quick bath, his scales scrubbed to a blinding shine.

"Now then, Spike, run down and see about a table for five. We'll be along as soon as I get the girls finished and do my hair."

Walking to the restaurant, Spike grumbled to himself. _Darn it, all she sees me as is a little kid. Maybe, if I can impress her with my manners and style during dinner, she might start noticing me!_

Spike got the table, and spent the next hour waiting on them to show up. He was just about ready to give up when the four walked in. The fillies looked uncomfortable in the frilly skirts Rarity had forced upon them, but at least nopony would pay attention to them. Rarity had arrived in a form fitting black dress, a high slit just barely revealing her cutie mark on her right side.

Poor Spike was so stunned he could only mumble his order and stare the whole evening, enraptured by the beauty before him. Though he did remember the pulling of chairs and other minor manners. Rarity chided the girls once for forgetting their lessons, when they got tomato sauce all over their faces. But otherwise, it was a pleasant affair, though more than one waiter overfilled or outright broke a glass, distracted by the sight of the dazzling unicorn.

After dinner, he followed in a dazed as they walked all the girls back to the library and put them down for the night. He yawned loudly, as he was just as young as they were and the day had turned quite long for him. Rarity tucked him into bed, smiling softly.

"Thank you so very much for being on top of things and being an absolute gentlecolt. I really do appreciate it darling."

She gave the young dragon a little kiss on the forehead, which knocked him right out. _Poor dear, he's such a sweetheart about everything. I just hope he gets over this little crush of his. I could never see this adorable little baby dragon as anything but that, even when the day comes he could lift us all up in one claw._

The dragon mumbled in his sleep. "Mmm... I'll protect you Rarity... hands off him mongrels..."

The unicorn smiled once more, trying not to giggle at his sleep talk. _Well, at least his heart's in the right place. _Giving another kiss to the forehead, Rarity stripped out of the dress and turned in herself. _Better get my beauty sleep, I have to be well rested to get ready for the filming tomorrow..._

…

Just a little rambling today. I wanted to give a little more Spike and Rarity, as I do enjoy the characters but never seem to do anything with them.

Kyle


	2. Crepe Expectations

The Dracolord's sleep was troubled, and this vexed him. Traveling from his chambers, he walked through the darkness to the kitchen, and chuckled to himself as he spied his desired snack. _Rubies, Emeralds and Sapphires. Amethyst and Jade. Bless the kind maiden who brought me these trifles._

His fangs effortlessly sheared through the gems, grinding them to powder with no visible effort. Truly, the jaw strength alone was reason to fear this mighty scaled beast. Even his saliva was horrifically strong, dissolving the jewels to be easier swallowed.

A mighty belch of flame punctuated the feasting, and the Dracolord felt new power surge through him. His flames stoked with the fresh fuel, he set inspecting his lair for anything out of place. Were something to be amiss, he knew his beloved, the fair Maiden, would be severally upset.

His desire to keep her happy was both a blessing and a curse to her. While she was able to help guide him on the proper path, his utter devotion repelled her. For while she did indeed hold great respect for the fearsome figure, his love felt tainted. She felt they were not meant to be, and this only drove him harder to make her see things his way...

"Well, everything looks alight. The girls are still asleep, and Rarity needs to get up soon too. She going to be on TV! That's so cool... shame none of us own one. I gotta see if Twilight can convince the Princess she needs one for... "Friendship Research" sounds good."

Spike returned to the kitchen, pulling out pots and pans. _Might as well make everybody breakfast. Rarity might not have time to eat before they start. It takes a long time to get into costume, but knowing her, she'll try to alter it a lot first. So... what would be a nice "Actress' Breakfast"? Oh! I know! Those really thin pancakes you roll up and fill with cream or something! Twilight called them... crepes. Strawberry crepes! With whipped cream! Rarity will love it!_

Giggling to himself, the baby dragon began to cook. In his excitement, he practically charbroiled the first few. Setting the blackened disks to the side for himself, he tried again with more restraint on the heat of the flame, and this time made a passable pastry. _Yes, Spike 1, Thin Pancakes... 7. I really gotta watch how hard I breath next time._ He kept practicing until he had stacks of perfectly cooked crepes.

He grabbed a whisk and began to whip thick cream in an energetic stir. This only succeeded in splashing the liquid everywhere. Grabbing a towel, he wiped himself and the counter-top off.

"Spike, darling, that isn't how you do that."

His head snapped up, to see Rarity standing in the doorway. Her hoof was to her lips, hiding a smile at the display as he scrambled to compose himself. Walking over, she inspected the cooling crepes.

"Well, you handled this very well Spike. But allow me to whip the cream for you. Slice those strawberries and apples in the mean time."

Nodded, an embarrassed blush covered the dragon's face as he used his claws to neatly dice the fruit so that it would make a uniform filling. Rarity watched his progress for a moment, then picked up the whisk with her magic. Concentrating for a moment, she soon had it whirling in place. Putting it in the bowl, froth formed quickly. As she whipped, she took the chance to put some sugar and vanilla extract. A few mixes alter, she pulled out the whisk straight up. _Ah, a perfect little white mountain means it's firm enough to hold. Hmm, oh why not spoil myself a little. After all, I deserve a little guilty pleasure._

Rarity gave a tender lick to the utensil, her face breaking into a look of simple bliss. A moan hummed in her throat as she savored cleaning the whisk personally. Feeling some on her lips, she gave a slow lick to remove the last of the sweet mess.

"Mmmm~ I love something sweet in the mornings, don't you Spike? Spike?"

She looked at the young dragon, who seemed to be frozen. He mouth was agape in shock, face turning crimson through the purple scales. A tap to the shoulder only made him fall over.

"Oh dear, I'll just have to set the table myself. GIRLS! Breakfast is ready! Spike was kind enough to make us all some lovely crepes!"

There was a mini-stampede as the trio fought their way downstairs to the table. Rarity ignored it as best she could as she set out bowls filled with the chopped fruits, the cream, and plates. She explained how one was to fill the pastry, rolled it up, then put a light amount of cream and powdered sugar on top. This was lost to the fillies, who just found a bottle of syrup and drenched the "puny pancakes" as Apple Bloom called them.

Spike woke up just as they were finishing the meal. The Crusaders dashed out the front door, ready to try being Cutie Mark Masked Wrestlers or something. _Those three are going to kill themselves one of these days. _He dusted himself off, and Rarity nodded at a plate filled with expertly rolled treats.

"Eat up darling, I made sure to add in a few smaller gems to suit your tastes better. Thank you ever so much for the delicious breakfast. I really must be going now. Mr. Time is surely wondering where his special guest star is this morning."

She left the baby dragon by himself, hastily making her way to the meeting place for the Doctor Whooves crew. He looked at the crepes, stomach rumbling. _I can't eat them though.. they were made by Rarity... but if I don't, she'll think I think they taste bad! And..._ A blob of the cream shifted under it's own weight, and revealed a bright red ruby had been mixed in with the berries. _And... you look so delicious..._

Half an hour later, Spike lay in his bed, clutching his stomach. _Ate too many tiny pancakes. I'm just glad the Princess isn't sending messages today._ He thought for a moment on this. _Say, she and Twilight haven't talked since Trixie moved in. When she gets back from Neigh Orleans, I gotta remind her to send the Princess a letter._

_ I hope she's ok down there. I think it's suppose to be in the middle of rebuilding. And if I know Twilight, she'll want to visit some landmark even if the sign outside says "Condemned" and even the roaches won't go inside. Trixie better watch out for her, and not get sidetracked from being in the spotlight. At least she's better than she use to be. If Twilight hadn't given her that big slice of humble pie Celestia knows where she'd have ended up. Probably the belly of the Ursa Minor..._

_ And speaking of jerks turned friends, Gilda's been living here for a while now too. I haven't had much of a chance to hang out with her, both when she first came and after, so I just have rumors. But __she sounded really stuck up when she first got here, calling the ponies lame. I mean, I get a bit sick from all the girly whirly touchy feely stuff, so I understand. But she took it a bit far. Nobody should ever yell at Fluteershy... but Dash vouches for her, so I guess everything's settled._

_ She and Dash are always doing something, and that Words guy. It was because Dash suggested him to Twilight he's watching the library, or really, house-sitting. He kinda let me handle actual library things myself, which is good. He had a hard time focusing himself, so at least he didn't pretend to know this job better than I do. He put the books back up when he' s done, unlike a certain purple unicorn..._

Spike continued to ramble on his mind, the combination of over-stuffed stomach and the shock of the unintended show ganging up on his poor mind. Sleep over took him, and the baby dragon lay curled in his bed for the rest of the day. That is, until the door slammed open in the evening, and a crash as a wall of books was knocked over...

…

Sorry it's late, struggled to wake up. Working nights, you know the drill. I had a bit of fun writing this, but I honestly have no clue where I'm going with it, even compared to my other stories where I generally make up 80% of it on the fly.

On an unrelated note, I just want to thank you guys for the thousandth time for showing your interest and support in all this. I try not to let the pride get to me, but it does inflate my self esteem to see your kind words each day. I'm just glad I haven't done something silly and overly self importantly like making a Ask Words O'Wisdom tumblr or something.

I have no artistic skill whatsoever, that helps make me stop... If you guys haven't, check out the Blueblood, Discord, and Ruby Pinch pages. They are hilarious. Molestia, Lunaughty, Lil' Miss Rarity and Pinkamina Diane Pie ones are equally entertaining but a good deal more "Adult" than I would suggest for my more conservative readers...

I do however commend those artists for their work. It's like the visual version of what I do here. Little funny updates, just about daily, that take a little work but lots of love, both to and from fans, to maintain. Sorry this author's news page is so long today.

Kyle


	3. Her Grace's Lace

A foul wind blows through the land. Upon it, the stench of ash rides out to herald the Dracolord's approach. Tonight was a special night for him, a small chance to both entrance and enthrall the public. While his true form was already impressively intimidating, he had crafted an image around him of an even fiercer dragon. Two longs horns jutted out from its skull, sharpened to a polish. Its jaw hung open widely, revealing rows upon rows of jagged, disarrayed teeth, is if it were bent and used saws than the usual neat, serrated knives of his usual grin.

Most striking of all was the girth of the illusion. The belly dragged on the ground, and by all appearances it should have been a much slower, stupid serpent. But, being little more than a twisting of perception, his speed and cunning were not diminished in the least. Even more importantly, his desire for the fair Maiden was as strong as ever, leading him to enter her chambers, and ring the bell to summon her down to him.

"Coming...oh. It still looks terribly tacky... Perhaps less lace?"

The mumbling continued as Rarity stepped downstairs to the main floor of the Boutique. She was somewhat frazzled looking, her glasses perched on the tip of her nose and a pencil in her mane. Spike waved at her, his costume jiggling slightly with the motion. Rarity bit her lip at the outfit, trying to resist the urge to tear the thing away. _At least Twilight had the decency to ask for some help on hers, whatever she was suppose to be. But... aha!_

Rarity walked to the pile of cloth, pulling out a sheer black cloth. Rubbing it across her cheek, she grinned to herself.

"Ah, so here's where it was. Perhaps now I can make my... Oh, sorry Spike. I tend to forget myself when inspiration strikes. Now, why are you here, shouldn't a young dragon be out gathering candy?"

Spike moved an overly full bag of treats behind him to hide it.

"Um, no. I'm not a baby any more. I don't need to go around collecting sugar on Nightmare Night. I'm old enough to appreciate the more... grown up aspects of the holiday."

The unicorn hid a smile, remembering the first time she'd said a similar lie to her mother in past celebrations. _I know just the thing to both make him happy, and get him out of my mane so I can finish the outfit._

"Then, I suppose you wouldn't be interested in the candied apples I hear Cheerilee is passing out? Or Mrs. Cake's special pumpkin spice cupcakes she should be passing out? And I suppose, such a mature young dragon would hardly be interested in... these."

She pulled out a sack of gems, one bright red ruby shining right on top. Drool poured from two dragon mouths as the gift was handed over. Gluttony is such a common vise, and the dragon was hit with its full force. He ran off with a manic grin, clutching the spoils close to his heart. Rarity heaved a sigh, picking up the cloth once more.

"I hate to make it seem like I dislike his company, but I can't have any more interruptions tonight. I've spent the last month making everypony's costumes, it's time I had the chance to finish my own."

The door's opening caused Rarity to twitch in annoyance. She turned to yell, patience worn down to the bare bone, when her survival instincts took over. To scream at Royalty is not the wisest of decisions. Princess Luna stepped into the Boutique, herded by Twilight, whose bells rang with every step.

"It's OK Rarity, the Princess is good now, remember?"

The white unicorn adjusted her glasses shakily, a wary eye on the dark Alicorn.

"I... I know. I merely dropped the material I was hoping to work with. But why is she here? Oh! Could you possibly have convinced THE Princesses to wear my clothing? Oh, for the very images of Equestria beauty to wear my designs..."

"No, no. She needs a costume. Something to help make the towns-ponies less likely to... flee."

Stepping forward, Luna gave a slightly strained smile.

"IT IS A PLEASURE TO MEET THEE AGAIN, BEARER OF GENEROSITY. WE HAVE HEARD MUCH OF THINE SKILL IN DESIGN, AND WE WISH TO MAKE USE OF IT OURSELF."

Rarity waited for the ringing in her ears to die down before grinning broadly. _To make a dress for the Princess? It's a dream come true! _She set about making the outfit, and time quickly passed..._  
><em>

"Nightmare Moon ate a Princess! Run!"

The stampede left the shop in shambles, and Twilight and Luna walked out shortly after. Rarity lay in a daze, the night too much for her. _I take it all back, that was a nightmare._

"I... I think I'll just go to bed... besides. And Elmare-a, Mistress of the Dark costume would probably just go over the fillies heads and stir the stallions too much..."

Gathering herself off the floor, the unicorn headed back upstairs. She passed the dress she had been working so hard on, looking at it forlornly. After a moment, she slipped into the costume and looked into the mirror to double check her efforts. It was midnight black, with a high slit up the leg to reveal just the bottom most edge of her cutie mark. Every movement threatened to slip and show more, but that's all it was. A threat, not a promise.

_What a shame I never got to use it. I wonder... Sweetie Belle is still out. Perhaps... oh, why not._

Turning the record player on, a creepy piano piece came on, a few cliche monster sound effects playing. With a bit of magic, Rarity's hair turned into the same rich darkness that enrobed her. She pulled the fainting couch in front of the mirror and gazed at herself as she mimicked the pose of the icon.

"Well, let it never be said I can't pull off black. It shows a rather nice contrast to my fur. Though I still think my natural purple is far more fabulous."

An undignified yawn escaped her lips. _Yes, everything has been quite the hassle today. I think perhaps... some... beauty sleep._

The beautiful Miss Rarity's eyes shut, sleep overwhelming her. Outside, Princess Luna finally was accepted by the town, sans the dress Rarity had made for her. A bit of pink thread still dangled from the Alicorn's teeth. Rarity mumbled in her sleep, the image of the dark Princess tearing the dress apart fresh in her mind.

"Hmph... Unpleasant Dreams to you... two ungrateful royals..."

…

I keep over sleeping and not typing this out in time. I'm just going to go wallow in self pity, or whatever it is bronies wallow in. Do bronies wallow? Oh, listen to me, not knowing what a brony is suppose to do when they keep updating too late.

And this is THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. UPDATE. I've gone back and changed it from what i originally posted, simply because it was too much for me to bear looking at, and I NEVER do that. I'M SOOO PAAATHEEETIC.

Crying in the corner, Kyle

P.S. I've been considering finally asking for an editor. But at the same time, I want to just post what I make right away. Would it bug anyone if I wanted to share my imperfection first, the editor then edit it, and I fix it later using the file they send me? Think of it like patching for a game or something. You put out something that works fine first, then fix any mistakes to make it better.

P.P.S. I'm starting to run out of stories to do the Nightmare Night thing, so expect to see some old ones get a surprising addition.


	4. GEW

"Oi! Wazat grot tink he's doin'? Boyz! Set yer gitfindas ta Panzee! We're huntin' Elkdar today!"

The scaled Tyrant smirked as he looked over his Pork Army. Every one of the giant green boars was armed to the teeth with weapons seemingly made of tossed together scrap. In most cases, to the teeth was quite accurate as massive tusks framed their faces and provided excellent natural melee weapons. Chuckling to himself, the Dracolord surveyed the various war machines the MechBoarz had thought up. Giant mechanical effigies of their gods, packed with more artillery than most armies, marched alongside bright red chariots powered by the sheer belief of "red wuns go fasta".

It was a glorious sight, and it brought forth such a sadistic happiness in the Lord that he allowed himself a louder laugh.

"May my enemies crumble beneath the force of my er.. forces! My Boarz want... MOOOOAAAAR! MUWAHAHA"

_The battlecry would inspire the greedy porcine soldiers into a bloodlust unlike any seen before! They will not be stopped! And what is tapping my head?_

Spike shook his head, then looked up. The tapper had been Twilight Sparkle, though she wasn't the only one there. Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Gilda, Trixie, Words O'Wisdom... it felt like half of Ponyville was watching from the doorway. Twilight giggled at the baby dragon.

"Playing with your figures again?"

"Um.. yeah. Sorry, I'll keep it down."

Spike poked one of the plastic figures over, looking rather depressed. Dash just looked really confused.

"What the hay was he playing?"

Spike instantly brightened up, smiling at Twilight.

"Oh, please, can I tell them about it?"

Twilight sighed, and levitated over a few books from a back shelf of the library. They had all sorts of different races, dressed up in futuristic armors and weaponry. One was labeled "Space Mareines" while another was the "Cau Empire" and about a dozen more. Spike puffed himself up as the lecture began.

"Well, the game is called Galactic Equestrian War, or GEW for short. The Princess suggested it to Twilight a while back, around the time she was studying some of the ancient conflicts in case someone like Discord popped up again. It's kinda hard to explain the rules, but the basic idea is sorta like chess. It's suppose to be a simplified way to show a battle in a war."

Fluttershy tentatively flipped through one titled Disharmony. Suddenly, she tensed up and dropped it.

"Discord is in here!"

Spike scooped up the tome before it hit the ground. He checked it over in case the spine was bent. Setting it down on a table, he smiled back at the group.

"Yup, he's one of the main bad guys, though everyone is treated kinda grey morally. The Cau Empire want everyone to work together, but it's heavily suggested they use mind-control pheromones in their milk, and of course, though who don't want to work with them are often... reeducated. Elkdar have to completely shut away their emotions to prevent their souls being stolen. The Porks just want to fight all non-Boarz into extinction. Griffrons want to fight ALL life into extinction, and Disharmony wants to see the universe fall into utter chaos and unrest.

Even the ponies aren't completely good. They don't trust anyone except other ponies, and even then, with worshipers of Disharmony, deserters to the Cau, and in general paranoia, it's a wonder it's as big a force as it is. Celestia is the leader for Equestria still, but something bad happened and now she's in a sort of life support, having to have hundreds of unicorns drain their magic to keep her alive daily. They're forced to give up their magic for the rest of their lives just to help her hang on.

I was a little uncomfortable learning all this, but the Princess just laughed it off. She didn't like how grim and dark it all was either, but it wasn't the first time somepony used her absence or injury as a story device to keep her from solving the issue herself. So she said just take it in stride."

The listeners eyes were wide in a mix of horror and bile fascination. Despite this, a gleam in their eyes betrayed a certain interest. Dash and Gilda snatched up the Griffron and Pork books and were looking through them with a grim humor. Dash smirked at the griffin.

"What are you doing? Gilda, come on, look at these guys! They're so awesome! They're hardcore like you wouldn't believe. The basic weapon alone is cooler than anything else."

"Are you kidding me Dash? These guys LITERALLY run off Coolness. They build big machines that shouldn't work, but do just because they believe it should. Listen to this: they use shed tusks for money. But because they dissolve over time, they can't hoard them. If you want to buy something expensive, you gotta be big and bad enough to knock out everyone's to afford it."

Spike smiled to himself, glad someone else understood why he liked the big pig army. Still, before he could talk to them about it, they both lost interest in the game itself, and were more interested in fighting over which race was cooler in theory. They didn't even seem to care about the figures and stats.

Fluttershy was still visibly disturbed at all the horrible things in this universe, but she picked up a Cau codex anyway. _I don't want to play, but Spike looks so eager to show us, I wouldn't want to upset him. At least these cows will..._

"Eep!"

The image of a massive buffalo snorting right in Fluttershy's face was not what she had expected. Spike rolled his eyes.

"I told you, the Cau recruit as much as they can. They fight far away, but they use Buffalo to fight in close range. They need a lot of help though, because they refuse to wear really good armor as part of tradition. Cau requires a lot of cooperation between units."

It all proved too much for Fluttershy who left the main library room to have a lay down. Words however picked up the codex, and began to read in silence.

Trixie thankfully didn't need Spike's attention, as she was having a private lesson from Twilight. They were looking at the Equestrian Guard book, which was one of the easier to understand factions. Trixie shook her head several times, still not understanding the appeal in the silly little game. This meant only one pony was left.

"Rarity..."

"Hmm, yes Spike?"

The mare was sitting to the side, with a codex and notepad next to her. Spike's spirit soared to see his crush actively showing interest in his hobby. He looked over her shoulder to the codex.

"Oh hey, you're interested in the Dark Elkdar? They have a lot of cool weapons, but their strategies are kinda rough to.."

His eyes had shifted to the notebook. Inside was doodles of the dresses and armors. It seems the fashionista had chosen this army solely out of aesthetics. He gave a weak smile when she beamed at him.

"Thank you so much for showing us these, darling. I've had a bit of a rut lately and these designs are simply amazing starting points for me to shift them into something fabulous!"

Heaving a small sigh, both happy she was, yet saddened by the fact nopony shared his interest. The baby dragon wandered over to his figures, trying to hide his depression. He felt a few tears slide down his scaly cheek. A few minutes passed, when Words tapped him on the shoulder.

"You OK?"

The dragon wiped his nose, sniffling a bit.

"It's just... nobody wants to play with me. They're busy just doing what they want with the series. Some friends they are.."

Words looked around, then sat down next to Spike.

"Come on, don't be like that little guy. Just because they don't want to play doesn't mean they aren't your friends. Take me and Gilda for example. I would rather go listen to some Neightoveen than Blue Holster Colt, and vice versa for her. But we're still friends just fine."

Spike trailed a claw in circles on the floor, giving a begrudging grunt of acknowledgment.

"Yeah, but it still hurts nobody wants to play..."

Words chuckled and pat the dragon's head.

"I wouldn't say that just yet. I just wanted to read up on it first, so let me see if I understand it all, Spike. GEW is like a game version of what you see in old movies, where the generals set up models of their forces and the enemies right? I wanted to get the basic concept and understand how some of the armies were to act, but I'm afraid I still don't understand some mechanics. Could you show me how to play?"

Spike's face broke into a wide grin, then he hugged the unicorn's leg, glad one of them finally showed honest interest in the game proper. The lesson began, and the unicorn listened patiently with very few questions. It ended around dinner time, when everybody headed off home.

Dash and Gilda were still butting heads over if Green Berserker Boarz or Robotic Griffin Skeletons were more awesome. Words left in their wake, trying to rein them both in before the noise caused a "scene". Fluttershy had to be walked home by Rarity, who was in a very good mood from the notebook now full of futuristic yet stylish designs. The library was in such disarray that it was decided ordering out was the best option, to allow more time to clean without worrying about cooking.

As Twilight paid the take-out delivery, she couldn't help but notice how happy the dragon was as he put away the books.

"Spike, you're humming. What's got you in such a good mood?"

He blushed in embarrassment, while Trixie finished setting the table. She laughed and turned to Twilight.

"He's got a new opponent to play his little game with. That's why he's so upbeat."

Still putting away books, he tried to hide his crimson face.

"Yeah, I was kinda bummed nobody wanted to really play, but when Words showed interest, I was just content with one."

Twilight nuzzled her favorite assistant.

"Aw, Spike, I'm glad. Hey, that sounds like a good lesson for the Princess. Would you like to write to her before we eat?"

"Really? Alright! I got the quill and paper right here. Let's see...

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I learned that it's OK for your friends to not share all of your interests. Just because they don't want to do something with you, it doesn't mean they don't like to be around you. Just like with food, you can't expect everybody to like the same things you do. But if a friend does like what you do, then that means you have even more reason to bond, and that's a great thing too.

Your friend, Spike.

P.S. Thank you for the extra models. It was a lot easier to show how to play when I had the surplus army. Words asked me to say thank you from him too, and that he'll repay you in the future. He just hopes not with taxes."

With a puff a flame, the message was sent. It appeared before Celestia, who smiled to herself as she read it.

"It's a nice thing little Spike has more friends like himself. It can be a little sad if you don't have at least one friend you can share with."

Luna nodded, looked over the table between them. Little figures of chimeras were lined up on her sister's side, while she had ponies in thick armors. Space Mareines.

"To be honest, I'm a bit happy he found another male to befriend. The girls are wonderful, but it can't be healthy for him to be so completely surrounded in estrogen. Now then, remind me. What are the names for the leaders again besides Discord?"

Celestia smiled softly.

"Destruction, Deception, and my personal favorite, Depravity. Hir forces are rather off putting, but it's a useful psychological tool."

"So you win by making everyone uncomfortable? That the Princess uses such... perverted forces? That almost sounds like cheating."

"Hush, now, roll the dice to see if you can hit."

…

I'm back, after a long time of mulling around. I could think of nothing, and so I did nothing. But then I realized something. I missed writing, I missed the praise, but most of all I simply missed hearing from you all. I am not a very needy man, but your words put a lot of drive in me. I will try my damnedest to update, even if I have to fall back on Words to give me a topic.

Kyle

P.S. I don't play Warhammer 40k... too frakking expensive. I do, however, love Tau and Papa Nurgle. If I could afford an army, I'd love one that focused on the Kroot forces of the tau though.


End file.
